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US Senate confirms Marco Rubio as new secretary of state

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US Senate confirms Marco Rubio as new secretary of state
Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida and U.S. secretary of state nominee for U.S. President Donald Trump, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Jan. 15, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The U.S. Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as the next secretary of state by a rare bipartisan consensus on Jan. 20, making him the first confirmed high-level member of the new Trump administration.

Rubio will oversee the implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, which is expected to entail a quick push to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Trump has sent mixed signals about his approach to ending the conflict. Rubio recently said that both Russia and Ukraine would have to make concessions to achieve a peace deal, possibly indicating an agreement that would allow Moscow to hold on to at least some of the occupied territories.

Previously, Rubio publicly praised the bravery of Ukrainian defenders but was among the 15 Republican lawmakers in the Senate who voted against the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in early 2024. Its delay severely hampered Ukraine's fight against Russian forces.

Rubio replaced Antony Blinken, who, in the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden, has played a leading role in U.S.-Ukraine relations throughout Russia's full-scale invasion launched in early 2022.

Officials close to Trump maintain that U.S. military aid to Ukraine will persist, focusing on empowering Kyiv to negotiate from a position of strength.

Marco Rubio’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine — what we know
Republican Senator Marco Rubio is likely to be the next U.S. secretary of state, according to reports on Nov. 12 that mark the latest insight into how President-elect Donald Trump’s White House will approach Russia’s war in Ukraine. Trump, leader of the Republican party who was elected president on
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Boldizsar Gyori

Boldizsar is a former Reuters correspondent for Hungary, currently based in Kharkiv, reporting for the Kyiv Independent and various other outlets. He holds degrees in political science, philosophy, and development policy.

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By infiltrating Ukrainian positions in small infantry groups, Russia has accumulated around 200 troops within Pokrovsk, the General Staff reported. These personnel are engaging in "intense" small arms and drone clashes with Ukrainian troops in the city.

While Ukraine also lacks Western-supplied weapons, soldiers and commanders say shortages of basics — cars, drones and people — make holding back Russia extremely difficult. Even as Kyiv seeks U.S. approval for Tomahawks, they say critical, rudimentary gear is the more pressing need.

Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

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The episode covers Russian war crimes in Pokrovsk and continued attacks on Ukrainian cities, including missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv. While Moscow continues to reject a ceasefire with Ukraine, has President Trump finally shifted his approach to Russia?

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